She bit her lip and swallowed. “It’s okay. I understand. I’m sorry again. You can go home. I’ll be fine.”
“Hey, stop. That’s not what I meant.” He grinned and leaned in to kiss her cheek and reassure her. “That’s not what I was saying.ThisI like. Being here, alone with you. But in the house, with all your sisters everywhere, Tiburón and your dad speaking Spanish... I don’t know. Maybe it’s my anxiety. I just didn’t feel comfortable.”
“Do you speak any Spanish?”
“Not really. My parents didn’t use it around the house because my grandfather didn’t speak Spanish to my dad. He wanted his kids to be American and not face discrimination. My brother Ramón speaks it very well, but he’s always been good at school and languages. And, well... everything. He studied it at Stanford and Harvard, and we even went to a language school in Mexico, but Jaime and I never picked it up.” He sighed. “I just never got the hang of it, you know? It became kind of like a complex for me. My cousins used to make funof me when I tried, and then in high school and college, my friends would speak Spanish in front of me, and I felt excluded. I’ve wanted to learn, but it’s just never come easy.”
She placed her hand on his back. “I’m sorry. That must be rough. It was my first language. I learned English in kindergarten. And by watchingSesame Street. But my parents barely spoke English back then. I was their translator for years.”
He grinned and put his arm around her. “Well, maybe you can be mine.”
“I’d like that.” She leaned into his chest, the warmth of her body against his sending his pulse racing. This was nice. He liked spending time with her. But he wasn’t ready to declare his intentions to her father. Especially since he didn’t have a clue what his intentions were or if he had any.
He turned to face her, pulling her close. “Carolina—this full traditional courtship scenario isn’t really my thing.”
She gulped and turned her head away from him. “Got it.”
“Babe, no, that’s not what I meant, either.”
She looked back at him; her eyes hopeful. “What did you mean?”
“I’m here until Christmas is over. I like you. I like spending time with you. I do want to learn about your farm. And I like being alone with you out here. Can we just hang out and have fun for the holidays? I don’t want to lead you on. Iwillbe returning to San Diego. But I’d also like to get to know you better.”
She pursed her lips. “I’d like that, too. But, like I said, my dad is super strict. We can see each other here at the farm. As for hanging out alone, I can try to get away, but it will be sneaking around.”
“I don’t want to create conflict with your family, but I’ll take any time with you I can get.”
“You say the sweetest things,” she murmured, color in her cheeks. She rose on her tiptoes, her lips so full, so close to his.
“I guess you bring it out in me,” he said, and as the sunset glistened on her lips, he leaned in and, like a thief, stole just one sweet kiss. Her hands roped around his shoulders, sending a tingle down his spine.
Enrique claimed her, devouring her sweetness. His lips trailed down from her lips to her sweet neck. Carolina gasped.
She slowly broke from him with a sly grin on her face.
“What, beautiful?”
“I just never thought I’d like kissing so much.”
He smirked. “We’re just getting started, babe.”
Chapter Fourteen
Carolina’s pulse raced and nerves filled the pit of her stomach at Enrique’s words. “Lucky me.”
The second those words left her mouth, guilt crashed over her. Her entire life, she had been conditioned to be a good girl, whatever that meant.
She was a greatwoman. She was kind, hardworking, and ambitious. And that was all that should matter. But none of those attributes mattered in the good girl games. She was expected to remain a virgin until her wedding night, though Carolina didn’t even know if she wanted to get married. Having an intimate relationship with someone appealed to her, but marriage? Not so much. Her father was so controlling, and her mother deferred to him. That was not the type of life Carolina wanted.
Though she was a virgin and had only had her first kiss a few days ago, she couldn’t stop thinking of Enrique’s touch.
But sleeping with Enrique could be a supremely bad idea. What if she liked it as much as she liked his kisses? What if she loved it?Would she become hopelessly attached to whoever took her virginity? Or even worse, become addicted to Enrique’s touch and then be crushed when he ultimately left her? If the way Enrique kissed her was any indication of his sexual prowess, that was an entirely realistic possibility.
But she welcomed the idea of becoming more intimate with Enrique. Imagining his hands caressing her body stoked a fire inside of her.
His hand cradled the back of her neck as he drew her into yet another kiss. She couldn’t get enough of this man. He smelled like pine and passion, and she was drunk on his taste.
A tractor rumbled in the distance. She forced herself to pull away from Enrique. “Did you hear that? My father probably sent out a search party for us.”
